Home Design with Furry Friends in Mind

Jul 13, 2015 05:13AM
● Published by Family Features

Even for households that count four-legged fur friends as part of their family, pet-friendly features can be easily overlooked when it's time to build or redesign. Architectural details, such as cabinetry, offer clever ways to provide pet-friendly function to any room.

There are three categories to keep in mind when integrating your pet into your next home improvement design. Pets, like humans, need a place to be bathed, to sleep, and to eat.

Bathing

Whether your dog is large or small, having a space to keep them clean is a necessity for year-round grooming. Another bonus: by giving them their own space, you no longer have to use your kitchen sink or bathtub to get the job done. One perfect place to include a pet grooming area is the laundry room. This room is often hidden from guests and lacks carpet, which makes it the ideal place for bathing animals. Using Wellborn Cabinet, Inc.'s You Draw It Program, you can design a custom cabinet solution that puts all the supplies you need for grooming close at hand.

Sleeping

It's pretty common for pets to have their own bed, but often this is simply an oversized pillow lying out in a high-traffic area, such as the living room. A living/entertainment space or the kitchen is ideal for getting dogs and cats out of the way and giving them their own little cozy corner with a more pleasing aesthetic. For example, a cutout area under the kitchen counter is an attractive way to tuck your furry friend's bed away while allowing him to remain close to the action.

Feeding

Your four-legged friends have to eat just like everyone else. Create an area for food and water bowls out of the way of daily commotion. Feeding stations are commonly found in the kitchen or laundry room, but with a built-in system you can establish a functional and attractive dining destination in other rooms of the home. Features such as wells to hold food and water dishes, a bin on rollers for dry food and shelving for cans and treats will put everything you need at your fingertips for mess-free chow time.

Do your pets a favor and keep them in mind when building your home or doing your next remodel. For more ideas on how you can include your pet in the design of your home, go to www.wellborn.com.